In order to improve heat transfer capability of glass sheet quench apparatuses, a prior strategy taught to increase system pressures. Additional strategies led to an increase in the ratio of inlet area to outlet area, as well as an increase in the ratio of exhaust area to outlet area, in order to provide suitable gas flows during quenching operations.
One prior quench apparatus includes lower and upper quench heads that each have multiple quench fins. The quench fins are spaced apart center to center by 1 inch, and each quench fin has multiple outlet openings that each have a diameter of 0.3125 inches. Furthermore, for each quench fin, the outlet openings are configured to provide spaced apart impingement points on a glass sheet positioned between the quench heads such that adjacent impingement points are spaced apart by a distance of 1.25 inches when the quench heads are spaced apart by 4 inches. This prior quench apparatus has an inlet area to fin outlet area ratio of 6.10 to 1 for each quench fin, and an exhaust area to head outlet area of 7.74 to 1 for each quench head.
Additional prior apparatuses for quenching glass sheets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,107 and 8,074,473, for example.